Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the comic book blog to the ODPH podcast. For this entry, we have arrived at the conclusion of the latest chapter of Mark Dawson’s hugely popular character within the excellent series featured on Comixology Originals, which has been announced for a print release from Dark Horse Comics in August 2023!. Beatrix Rose: Vigilante #5 by Stephanie Phillips, Valeria Favoccia, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, and Saida Temofonte brings a fitting end to a non-stop adrenaline ride mixed with danger and deception. Taking a character such as Rose from books into the land of comics can be tricky. Does it live up to the legacy of the novels Rose has previously been featured in? Let’s not wait any longer and dive into the finale to find out, shall we?

Beatrix Rose: Vigilante #5 - On sale November 15th
Creative: Stephanie Phillips, Valeria Favoccia, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, Saida Temofonte (Cover: Adriana Melo)
Credit: Comixology Originals

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

The story of Beatrix Rose is a complicated one. Her story stems from working for 15, a British Intelligence Group until she was turned on by her own team. Rose’s Husband has been murdered. Her Daughter has been kidnapped. From there, Rose fell off the radar…until 2006 in Hong Kong. Rose has bee working for the Triad as a gun-for-hire. This story begins when someone is making a vendetta against the Triad. That someone is “Yaomo” or “Demon”, who’s been killing Triad members. Rose is assigned on the case but not everything is as what it seems.

After their scuffles, Rose had flipped her alliance to the side of Yaomo in hoping to help her cause. The pair works thru a very uneasy partnership which just simply can’t stay stable. Rose refuses to give up on Yaomo, even with the Triad now looking for both of them. It has some part to do with Yaomo’s story of avenging her father after the Triad killed him. At last point, readers saw Yaomo break away from Rose overseeing her to finish her mission of vengeance once and for all. The drama has built to a point it can’t stay contained for long. All roads lead to the person responsible for Yaomo’s anger: The Serpent.

This issue opens up with Yaomo attacking the Serpent’s home. The leader of the Triad has guards watching but prove to be no avail in stopping her. Post-initial attack, Yaomo thinks back to part of her training for this eventual play. Showing how as much as she thinks she’s ready, Yaomo is clearly not doesn’t defer her from the mission at hand. All the while, Rose has tracked her down to try stopping her from the attack in a way to redeem herself. The pair squares off which only leads into more problems and danger. Fighting each other in the belly of the beast inst the wisest ideas. Readers will see how this plays into the final showdown. What they won’t be ready for is what happens next. The surprise factors weigh in heavy as the combustible components finally explode when all together. Who makes it out standing? What is the fate of Beatrix Rose moving forward? Is there even a moving forward after this? Readers will get those answers plus more questions raised by the time they witness the final panel.

Philips closes this chapter of the life and times of Beatrix Rose with a memorable ending. Since the start, Rose has been a conflicted and complex character after re-emerging in Japan. Her motives are always hidden close so when readers see how she takes Yaomo under her wing, the conclusion here in this issue hits even harder. One theme seen in this series and especially in this issue is Rose answering “Who Is Beatrix Rose?” Seeing how she walks into this story and how there are parallels to her life before, Phillips weaves Rose’s lives into each other flawlessly. It makes for a fresh take on an established character. Factoring in Yaomo’s tale gave another layer into the rebirth of Rose. Nothing came off over the top and pacing worked well (even as fast as it was at times) for building the drama. Readers will be very invested at the fallout from this tale moving forward.

Favoccia delivers on big moments throughout this book. The final battle between Rose and Yaomo will lock in readers from start to the inevitable conclusion. The action never slows down once started. This works as the fight scenes play off the dialogue great. Favoccia’s art depicts the fury of Yaomo’s quest as an additional visual to the scenes at hand. Nothing tops the final stand-off between all 3 major characters. Favoccia casts a wide net on their reactions and readers will be reacting out loud as the final moments of the story wrap up the emotional toll this mission has taken on Rose. The closing panels mash up well to where things appear to be heading. Readers will be able to make some theories until the next time they follow along Rose and company, wherever that may be.

Final Point: The life of Beatrix Rose welcomes new readers and established fans to the new landscape with a solid conclusion on this “rebirth” of the title character. Phillips, Favoccia, Wright and the team ushered in the comic book tale of the espionage superstar without missing a beat. The conclusion here will have people talking and gives some insight into the next phase for readers’ to speculate on. Don’t miss this series and the concluding installment this week on Comixology.

Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you thoughts of Beatrix Rose Vigilante #5. Thanks for reading.

BEATRIX ROSE: VIGILANTE #5 (COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS)

Ken M